ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents the questions about how the nature of consciousness (its ontology) is related to the possibility of gaining knowledge about it (the epistemology) and the methods we choose to do so (the methodology). Part of the problem is that 'consciousness' has no generally accepted definition in either science or philosophy despite many attempts to define it. The word is common enough in everyday language, but is used in different ways. The distinction between more theoretical and more personal ways of studying consciousness remains, and student must strike a balance between them. Susan Blackmore has taught courses on the psychology of consciousness for more than ten years and encouraged her students to practise asking the questions. Some of Sue's classes included a few students who held religious convictions or believed in God.
